Question on leaning

[Honclfibr]

So I'm finally getting comfortable with my ZX6, starting to lean it over a bit more in turns, and it feels great...except, if I lean it far enough, all of the sudden I feel the bike "drop" towards the ground...it's hard to explain, the bike will be leaned over and feel stable, then I push a bit harder and the bike leans over more than I expected it too, like the tire is slipping out from underneath. Nothing bad happens but it blows my concentration and I pull the bike back upright a bit, and don't lean that hard.

I'm not leaned over excessively here, not scraping pegs or anything close to that, so I know I'm not pushing the limits. I'm wondering if this is a normal feeling and I should just get used to it? Is there some sort of transition where the tires go from one profile to the next or something? Or is this a sign that something is wrong?

If this is a natural feeling, any suggestions for becoming comfortable with it, or is it just practice practice?

[twrayinma]

how're your tires? still round? not cupped in front or flat-spotted in back?

if they're okay, it's probably just your comfort zone... practice, practice, practice.
i'm sure mick would put it a little more... uh... colorfully...

[oreo_n2]

Originally posted by Honclfibr
If this is a natural feeling, any suggestions for becoming comfortable with it, or is it just practice practice?

just get some *depends* undergarments and deal!

[Matt K]

check your tires, look straight at the rear tire, from the back. Some tires are more round is cross section, some are more triangular. I believe the more triangular ones can cause a bike to "fall" into corners a bit, but I could be wrong. Maybe some racer folk can back me up... Also, your sspension setup can cause that too. Especially on older bikes

[benVFR]

Is it a new bike?

If it's used it sounds like the previous owner may have rode on the highway a lot and flat-spotted the tires.

The way I would describe it would not be that the bike wants to fall, it's that it's got a point where above that point it wants to straighten back out (forcing you to countersteer more to hold the turn) and below that point it wants to fall in, so you end up having to constantly adjust your lean angle. It's annoying.

Ben

[Kham]

sounds like you need to go faster as you lean more to maintain your line. i think most experts on this board would agree you will not go down until the peg touch the ground. dont know if that's true for all types of road. there's a whole science to this. plenty of articles to read online if you search for it.

[Honclfibr]

Originally posted by Kham
sounds like you need to go faster as you lean more to maintain your line. i think most experts on this board would agree you will not go down until the peg touch the ground. dont know if that's true for all types of road. there's a whole science to this. plenty of articles to read online if you search for it.

Thanks to everyone for the advice, it's much appreciated. Looking at what you said Kham, I think you might be right about the speed issue. Looking back, the incident occured during a sharp left hand turn from a stop; I was probably only moving at 15-20 miles per hour. I know that the gyroscopic force of the rear wheel is what keeps the bike upright, and that this force increases as the rear wheel spins faster, so I'm thinking maybe I was going a little under what I should have been for that kind of lean. I know a bit of throttle roll on should help that, but my stomach argues when my brain tells it I should give the bike a bit more throttle as I feel it slip Ah well, something to work on, I gotta find a nice big abandoned lot in this area to do some technicals...

And yes Greg, I did take the MSF course last year, excellent course, I'd recommend it to everyone. I'm thinking about taking the intermediate or advanced course this year, good opportunity for some more low speed practice I just can't seem to find the space for around here...

Finally, in answer to the tires issue, I don't think they're cupped, looking at the rear wheel the chicken strips are only 1/4" wide (!!) so I'm thinking the previous owner was not the timid sort....didn't know his limits either, since the bike was on both sides in under 2k miles

[twrayinma]

i'm just amused that if you discount greg the old fart, the combined experience of everyone who posted to help is like... 8 months, or something.

[Honclfibr]

Originally posted by twrayinma
i'm just amused that if you discount greg the old fart, the combined experience of everyone who posted to help is like... 8 months, or something.

Seriously? Ha! Hell, I've been riding for 8 months, how does everyone already know more than me?!

I guess I'm just a slow learner. Or a pussy. Or a pussy that doesn't learn. Or I learn, but I forget. Because I'm scared to remember. Because I'm a pussy. What was I talking about?

Anyway, in all seriousness, I appreciate the advice. The blind leading the blind is better than nobody leading the blind...right? Or the blind leading the deaf. That would just be stupid. The deaf should lead. Then, when they saw something, they could just poke the blind in the eye. The blind don't need them anyway. They're blind.

I think I've gone insane from too much motorcycling. I better go take some pills now.

[SWEET_Z]

Originally posted by twrayinma
i'm just amused that if you discount greg the old fart, the combined experience of everyone who posted to help is like... 8 months, or something.

Good point. Just remember to take this stuff for what it is, opinions. Don't think just cause you saw it on NESR it's a fact.

[twrayinma]

bu-bu-but... it's on the <i>internet!!!</i>

that means it's FACT!

[Kham]

Originally posted by twrayinma
i'm just amused that if you discount greg the old fart, the combined experience of everyone who posted to help is like... 8 months, or something.

what's to be amused. solution to technical problem can be documented and study by anyone. i remember those corrective action from some expert riders' web site.

[twrayinma]

Originally posted by Kham
what's to be amused.

if i have to explain the funny, that makes it no longer funny.

that's kind of an inherent property of <i>funny</i>.

[Honclfibr]

Originally posted by twrayinma
if i have to explain the funny, that makes it no longer funny.

that's kind of an inherent property of <i>funny</i>.

Today's lesson, brought to you by the good folks at Penny Arcade:

Where does funny come from?

Click the words in order, or you'll get the wrong funny!

[Stoneman]

Not sure what you're running for a rear tire size. But a lot of people switch DOWN in size on bikes that came with a 190 rear. I know I went from a 190 to a 180 rear on my TL-R. People do that for just the reason you explained, regardless of their riding experience...